Casualties
by Goddess Romi Sparkles
Summary: Fleur and Tonks bond over the loss of their loved ones, living to see the end of the war and death of the Dark Lord. Together they help each other to heal and become closer. Written for the Pairing Diversity Boot Camp. Alternate History/Universe.


A/N: This is for the Pairing Diversity Boot Camp (HPFC). Obviously the pairing is Fleur/Tonks but it isn't exactly in a romantic way. This is also Alternate History or Universe because I changed a few things. Such as the death of a canon character and the birth/age of a Next-Gen canon character.

This is not beta'd and I'm definitely looking! If you are interested in becoming my awesome beta please don't hesitate in PMing me.

With that being said, happy readings!

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**Casualties**

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Fleur lay on a cot in one of the once abandoned classrooms but after some hasty restorations this classroom and another few were to hold those injured in the battle. She was curled up on her side staring blankly at the wall beside her bed. Tears were slowly inching their way across her face, she was in denial.

Every few minutes her dry, crackled lips would part and broken words in her native tongue would spill from them. The room shook with the force of some explosion outside, the war was still going and here she lay – sobbing softly. Her hand reached out and touched ginger hair. With slow movements the hand trailed down, tracing over two distinct gashes that interrupted the flow of soft flesh.

Fleur didn't want to part from her love's side – he wasn't gone, he hadn't left her. Bill was her life, and he was taken from her prematurely buy some wayward curse from their _own_ side. Friendly fire – that's what Madam Pomfrey had told her and what was more upsetting was the fact that they were unsure who cast the curse. The mediwitch left the mourning newly widowed young witch, needing to attend to the recent wave of injured students.

"Remus! Oh merlin, please don't leave me!" The strangled cry pulled Fleur from her thoughts, turning her head mechanically she saw Remus being carried in on a floating gurney with Tonks on top of him crying hysterically.

The blonde's heart clenched at the scene and she turned away to look at her own lost love. So much death and destruction, how were they going to recover from something like this? Would they even win? Harry was so young and yet he was responsible for ending this individual… this monster who inflicted pain and terror without remorse.

Fleur's body moved on its own accord, stiffly making her way toward the sobbing woman. She could stay here or she could just to fight. Fight or sit on the sidelines and cry about those lost, the answer would be simple. The blonde came to a stop beside Tonks, grasping the woman's shoulder firmly.

The distraught woman stiffened and looked up from where her face was buried in Remus' tattered jacket. The woman's eyes were a different color, Fleur had only known Tonks to change her hair color and her eyes generally said a light brown that wasn't quite hazel. Her hair had dimmed and darkened to a muddy brown and had lengthened to her shoulder instead of the spikey pink locks she was familiar with.

The two witches stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, both of them conversing without saying a word. The barest twitches in their faces and shifts of their bodies showed their silent conversation. Finally Tonks head dipped into a nod and she wiped away her tears, leaning down and placing a soft kiss to her husband's lips then stood. "Let's go, Fleur, right?" She croaked her throat scratchy from screaming and crying.

"Oui, I am sorry… for your loss." Fleur said softly, touching the older woman's arm. Her own eyes traveled across the room to where Bill lay and knew Tonks' pain.

Madam Pomprey shuffled over to them, the young Nurse Wainscott fluttering nervously just behind her. "Just where do the two of you plan on going?" She demanded, pinning both woman with a piercing look. "I sure hope you aren't playing to go anywhere in your conditions especially you, Mrs. Weasley."

Fleur winced at the reminder that she was now a widow but her face clouded over with confusion. "My condition…? I am fine, only a few bruises that you healed yourself." She replied unsurely, her thick accent ever present.

"No dear, you are pregnant.." Madam Pomprey informed the young woman hesitantly, eying her warily. "I assumed you knew because you are creeping into your second trimester… then again you aren't really showing.."

Fleur was in shock, a baby… a child, her and Bill's child. How would she be able to do this? And without him? A hand gripped her own and the blonde turned her head to look at Tonks who offered her a smile of understanding however small it was. It chased off her incoming panic attack, the smile showed friendship and promise to stay, to help, to offer her comfort that Fleur would no doubt return.

That small smile helped to lighten her heart with a simple reassurance that she wouldn't be alone. She still had friends and family to catch her if she fell and she was grateful. The war would certainly take from them but they'd become closer in times as dark as these.

Fleur gave a tentative smile back and tightened her hold on Tonks' hand.

-o0o-

The light had won, they had prevailed against the Dark Lord and those who dared to side with him. But at the cost of many, many lives of human and creature alike – they'd fought bravely. The 'casualties' of war reporters had said… casualties – that word was so impersonal. Casualties. More like the true heroes of the war who laid down their lives for those who survived.

Fleur shifted the bundle in her arms, gazing out the window lost in her own thoughts. An arm slipped around her shoulders and startled her briefly.

"Wotcher, Fleur." Tonks grinned, saying her usual greeting before pressing her lips to the blonde's cheek in a soft kiss. "How are you and little Victoire, hm?" She cooed to the infant in Fleur's arms. And just like that Fleur's darkening mood brightened again, it was just like Tonks to pull her back into the present. The two had grown close in the past months and even though they were just friends some had an inkling that more was going on. Despite all the speculation many were happy that the two women were getting on relatively fine.

Fleur allowed her arms to drop to her sides once her daughter was whisked away by a certain turquoise-haired witch. _Yes, everything would be just fine. _She thought, watching Tonks play with her daughter.


End file.
